God at Work in the World and within Ourselves

In today's first reading, 2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-152, 18, the king of Assyria occupied the Israelite's whole land, attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.  The Israelites were deported the  to Assyria. We are told that this "came about because the children of Israel sinned against the Lord, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,  and because they venerated other gods....Though Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, 'Give up  your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,' they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the Lord, their God....[T]he Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left."

We are being beseiged by the coronavirus and are being warned that the disease is on the up-rise. Are we listening? Or do we simply dismiss the warnings as foolishness? Do we downplay Covid-19 or simply deny it: "Stop testing," our leaders say. If one of our children's temperature were rising to a dangerous level, would we simply say: "Stop taking the child's temperature. He/she will be okay!

Not only do we need to look at how we are responding to the threat of a serious physical illness  but  how are we responding to the spread of serious spiritual illnesses: racism, sexism, immorality, passing of unjust laws or support of unjust laws; engaging in acts  corruption or supporting or denying corrupt actions; engaging in slander against our neighbors, being jealous of others and so on.

Closer to home, how am I, how are you, growing in holiness? In what ways are we spreading God's love, God's justice, God's mercy, God's compassion, God's forgiveness? Am I looking for God's Spirit at work in the world, especially in its "dark" places where sin seems to be getting the upper hand?  Am I looking for God's Spirit at work within ourselves, directing our every move?

My heart in the hand of the Lord

Today’s first reading, Proverbs 21: 1-6, 10-13, opens with the following statement:  “Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases him, he directs it.” I suggest that we rewrite that  as a personal statement and prayer: “Like a stream is my heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases God, may I allow the Lord to direct it.”   Obviously, we have an example in Jesus, the Son of God made man, whose heart, truly, was like a stream in the hands of His Father. Wherever and whatever the Father willed of Him, Jesus allowed, being obedient even unto death on the cross. It was on Calvary that Jesus’ mission to accomplish the Father’s will—our salvation--was culminated. Resolutely, he repeatedly told his disciples: “I am going up to Jerusalem” (cf. Mt. 20:18).

How difficult at times to “go up to the Jerusalems” of my life, to embrace the difficult assignments, to follow the Lord’s lead when, for example, I may be asked to engage in direct communication with a person whose behaviors  have been troubling to me. It is so easy to talk behind a person’s back than addressing the issue face to face with the person from whom “the problem” originated.  

This challenge to “go up to Jerusalem”  is addressed so wisely in My Utmost for His Highest  in today’s meditation:  “….Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go “up to Jerusalem”.  Only when I go  to “Jerusalem” will I experience resurrection, new life, the power of transformation and interior freedom.  As it Jesus, sometimes I will be thanked and at other times “cursed.” That is not the point. The point is becoming one with the will of My Father to love as He does!